Chuyến bay 814 của Indian Airlines

Chuyến bay 814 của Indian Airlines

Dân quân Taliban trước máy bay bị bắt.
Không tặc
Ngày	24 tháng 12 năm 1999 – 31 tháng 12 năm 1999
Mô tả tai nạn	Không tặc
Địa điểm	Bị bắt cóc trên không phận Ấn Độ giữa Kathmandu, Nepal và Delhi, Ấn Độ; hạ cánh tại Amritsar, Ấn Độ; Lahore, Pakistan; Dubai; và Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Máy bay
Dạng máy bay	Airbus A300B2-101
Hãng hàng không	Indian Airlines
Số đăng ký	VT-EDW
Xuất phát	Sân bay quốc tế Tribhuvan Kathmandu, Nepal
Điểm đến	Sân bay quốc tế Indira Gandhi Delhi, Ấn Độ
Hành khách	176
Phi hành đoàn	15
Tử vong	1 (Rupan Katyal)
Bị thương	17
Sống sót	190

Chuyến bay 814 của Indian Airlines, thường gọi là IC 814 sử dụng một chiếc Airbus A300 trên hành trình từ Sân bay quốc tế Tribhuvan tại Kathmandu, Nepal đến Sân bay quốc tế Indira Gandhi tại Delhi, Ấn Độ vào ngày thứ Sáu, 24 tháng 12 năm 1999. Máy bay bị không tặc, thủ phạm bị cáo buộc là tổ chức Hồi giáo cực đoan Harkat-ul-Mujahideen có căn cứ tại Pakistan.

Máy bay bị bắt cóc không lâu sau khi tiến vào không phận Ấn Dộ, các phần tử không tặc ra lệnh cho máy bay phải bay đến một số địa điểm. Sau khi hạ xuống Amritsar, Lahore và Dubai, cuối cùng họ buộc máy bay hạ cánh tại Kandahar, Afghanistan đang do Taliban kiểm soát. Các phần tử không tặc phóng thích 27 trong số 176 hành khách tại Dubai.

Ban đầu, Taliban không cho phép máy bay hạ cánh tại đây, song cuối cùng cấp quyền hạ cánh và gây áp lực cho các phần tử không tặc phóng thích các con tin và từ bỏ một số trong những yêu cầu.

Động cơ của hành động không tặc có vẻ là nhằm tìm cách phóng thích các nhân vật Hồi giáo chủ nghĩa trong nhà tù tại Ấn Độ. Khủng hoảng con tin kéo dài trong bảy ngày và kết thúc sau khi Ấn Độ chấp thuận phóng thích ba chiến binh là Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh và Maulana Masood Azhar. Sau đó, các chiến binh này tham dự trong các hành động khủng bố khác như 9/11, bắt cóc và giết Daniel Pearl và các vụ tấn công khủng bố Mumbai.

Không tặc

Tiếp viên trưởng Anil Sharma trên IC-814 sau này nhớ lại rằng một nam giới che mặt, đeo kính đe dọa cho nổ máy bay với một quả bom và lệnh cho Cơ trưởng Devi Sharan "bay về phía tây". Four other men wearing red masks then stood up and took positions throughout the aircraft. The hijackers wanted Captain Sharan to divert the aircraft over Lucknow and head towards Lahore. However, there was insufficient fuel. Captain Sharan told the hijackers that they had to land in Amritsar, India.

Landing in Amritsar, India

At Amritsar, Captain Sharan requested refuelling the aircraft. However, the Crisis Management Group in Delhi directed Amritsar Airport authorities to ensure that the plane was immobilised, which armed personnel of the Punjab police were already in position to try to do. They did not receive approval from New Delhi. Eventually, a fuel tanker was dispatched and instructed to block the approach of the aircraft. As the tanker sped towards the aircraft, air traffic control radioed the pilot to slow down, and the tanker immediately came to a stop. This sudden stop aroused the hijackers' suspicion and they forced the aircraft to take off immediately, without clearance from air traffic control. The aircraft missed the tanker by only a few feet.One passenger was killed about this time, apparently for failing to follow the hijackers’ instructions.

Landing in Lahore, Pakistan

Due to extremely low fuel level, the aircraft requested an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan initially denied the request. Pakistan also shut down their air traffic services, thus effectively blackening the whole of Pakistan airspace for the Indian Airlines flight and switched off all lights at Lahore Airport. With no help from ATC, Captain Sharan banked on his visual instincts and began descending on what he thought was a runway only to find out that it was a well-lit road and aborted landing the aircraft in time. On understanding that the only other option for the aircraft was to crash land, Lahore Airport switched on its lights and allowed the aircraft to land. Lahore airport officials refuelled the aircraft and allowed it to leave Lahore at 22:32 IST. Pakistani officials rejected the pilot's request to offload some women and children passengers due to tense relations with India.

Landing in Dubai, UAE

The aircraft took off for Dubai where 27 passengers aboard the flight were released. The hijackers also released a critically injured 25-year-old male, Rupan Katyal, who was stabbed by the hijackers multiple times. Rupen had actually died before the aircraft landed in Dubai Military Airport. Indian authorities wanted to carry out a commando hijack specialist operation in Dubai involving Indian military officials, which was disagreed by the UAE government.

Landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan

After the aircraft landed in Kandahar, Taliban authorities, in an attempt to gain international recognition, agreed to co-operate with Indian authorities and took the role of mediators between the hijackers and the Indian government. Since India did not recognise the Taliban regime, it dispatched an official from its High Commission in Islamabad to Kandahar. India's lack of previous contact with the Taliban regime complicated the negotiating process.

However, the intention of the Taliban was under doubt after its armed fighters surrounded the aircraft. The Taliban maintained that the forces were deployed in an attempt to dissuade the hijackers from killing or injuring the hostages but some analysts believe it was done to prevent an Indian military operation against the hijackers.

Negotiations

• Maulana Masood Azhar – founded Jaish-e-Muhammed in 2000 which gained notoriety for its alleged role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.
• Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh – arrested in 2002 by Pakistani authorities for the abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl.
• Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar – has played an active role since release in training Islamic militants in POK.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who had been imprisoned in connection with the 1994 Kidnappings of Western tourists in India, went on to murder Daniel Pearl and also allegedly played a significant role in planning the September 11 attacks in the United States.

After the three militants landed in Kandahar, the hostages aboard the flight were freed. On 31 December 1999, the freed hostages of the Indian Airlines Flight 814 were flown back through special plane.

Meanwhile, the Taliban had given the hijackers ten hours to leave Afghanistan. The five hijackers departed with a Taliban hostage to ensure their safe passage and were reported to have left Afghanistan.

Pakistan denied that any of the militants are in Pakistan, but it was discovered later that all three terrorists Maulana Masood Azhar (living in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan), Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (who kidnapped and killed Daniel Pearl from Lahore, Pakistan) and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar (also living in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan) were in Pakistan.

• links ‘suitcase’ to Kandahar hijack, finds itself on shaky ground

Aftermath

The case was investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which charged 10 people out of which seven including the five hijackers were still absconding and are in Pakistan. On 5 Feb 2008, a special anti hijacking Patiala House Court sentenced all three convicts namely Abdul Latif, Yusuf Nepali and Dilip Kumar Bhujel to life imprisonment. They were charged for helping the hijackers in procuring fake passports and to take weapons on board. However, CBI moved Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding death penalty (instead of life imprisonment) to Abdul Latif. The case is set to come up for regular hearing in high court in September 2012. On 13 September 2012,the Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested terror suspect Mehrajuddin Dand, who allegedly provided logistical support for the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999. He allegedly provided travel papers to IC-814 hijackers.

Captain Devi Sharan (Commander of IC814) recounted the events in a book titled 'Flight into Fear – A Captain's Story' (2000). The book was written in collaboration with journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.

Flight Engineer Anil K. Jaggia also wrote a book specifically depicting the events unfolded during the hijacking ordeal. His book is titled 'IC 814 Hijacked!'. The book was written in collaboration with Saurabh Shukla.

The CBI's application to convert the life imprisonment of Abdul Latif to a death sentence has been rejected. Also, Abdul Latif's application to decrease his sentence from life imprisonment has been rejected.

See also

• Air India Flight 182
• Air France Flight 8969
• Dawson's Field hijackings

External links

• Information on hijacked Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, Embassy of India
• Photographs of the Pakistani Hijackers
• My experiences aboard IC-814
• Indian Airlines Capt. Devi Sharan was awarded the 1999 Safe Skies Award
• Aziz hand seen in Kandahar hijacking
• IC-814 hijackers free birds in Pak
• IC-814 Captain becomes a celebrity in India
• Hijacking tai nạn tại Aviation Safety Network